Ashes and Snow
by Lalaith Quetzalli
Summary: When Winter has passed and all Wars have ended; when ice has melted and the fires been put out, who is left to take the Iron Throne? (Alternative to the series Finale) (Warning for Major Character Death)


So... if you haven't watched the finale please ignore this (though, if you haven't watched the finale you probably shouldn't be reading this at all, please come back when you have). Having said that, spoilers ahead! What the hell was everyone thinking giving us that finale?! Yes, I knew she was going to that, I could see that coming a mile away, I think most of us could. And some might argue killing her was why the Lord of Light brought Jon back, as he was the only one who could do it. But still! I hated it, I hated them making it the Mad Queen because it wasn't fair, it went against everything she was and had been since the beginning of her story.

It took me one day to plan this and two more to write it. I never planned on writing GoT fanfiction, have hardly read any to be honest. But after watching that finale... my muse just wouldn't shut up, especially because I had my own finale in mind... so here we are, and this is my offering. Hope you'll enjoy it!

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Ashes and Snow

_By: Lalaith Quetzalli _

_When Winter has passed and all Wars have ended; when ice has melted and the fires been put out, who is left to take the Iron Throne? _

A song of ice

A song of fire

A crown of flame

Or a crown of snow

Who will rise

the wolf or the dragon

the heir to the Iron Throne

Who'll take the Iron Throne

~ "The Wolf and the Dragon" by Karliene.

She's wearing a blue dress, the likes of which she hasn't worn in years, not since she stopped being Daenerys, the orphaned girl, the last Targaryen, and instead became the Khaleesi of her own dothraki, the leader of the Unsullied, the Breaker of Chains, the Queen of Mereen… things used to be so easy back then, never did she imagine that a day might come when she would wish for those old, simpler days. She knows what the people think about her, what they whisper when they think (hope) she cannot hear. They call her a tyrant, a monster… the Mad Queen… They don't understand, the people of King's Landing, they see the ashes that surrounded them, but not the ones that surround her; the ashes, and the tears and blood of all those she's lost. She cannot lose anyone else. After Drogo, Rhaego, her first khalassar, Ser Barristan, Viserion, Ser Jorah, Khal Moro, Rhaegal, Missandei… the list goes on and on. She's lost too many, she cannot lose anyone else!

So she'll be cruel, she'll be merciless, she'll be strong. And though the current generation might curse her, she'll ensure that the future ones will know no fear. Not the fear the Westerosi have known under all the Usurper Kings and Queen over the past twenty years (and even under her own father), not the fear she's known for so much of her own life. She cannot hesitate, not know, she cannot make the same mistake again. Not like what happened in Mereen, when she allowed her kind heart and inexperienced mind to lead her down a path that ended with the loss of one of her most trusted advisers, her last connection to her family. And even before then, when her own mercy over the life of one witch ended with the loss of her beloved husband and her precious unborn son! She cannot risk something like that happening again, she won't.

In the end the blue dress is about more than nostalgia on her part. She wanted to go out, to see what's happening with her new Kingdom, but she's too well-known. With her braided silver hair and violet eyes, her black wardrobe. So she chose to change things, with a blue dress and a tanned cloak, a long piece of cloth wound around her hair, hiding it from sight. The ashes and snow still in the air did the rest.

But unlike what she was expecting (hoping) the walk hasn't brought her any peace, the whole opposite in fact. It would seem the people of King's Landing had grown so used to life under the Usurper Queen, and those that preceded her, they do not see that she's done them a favor, that she's freed them of a monster, instead seeing her as the monster… It's okay, she can endure it; their doubts, their scorn, their fear. She'll take the weight of all that upon her shoulders so they might have a better future. Like she told Yara back in Mereen, they'll leave the world better than how they found it.

Daenerys is distracted, unsurprising all things considered, and she ends in the Throne Room. The place is damaged after hers and Drogon's attack not three days before. She hasn't even set foot inside that room, the Unsullied had plans to fix the place before her official coronation and yet… Daenerys cannot help herself as she steps inside. The place is half in ruins, with debris all around, and everything covered in snow… yet that doesn't make It look any less imposing. It… the Iron Throne, the throne Viserys would never stop talking about, the throne meant just for her. After all, she's the Dragon's Daughter, the Targaryen heiress.

There's a niggling feeling in the back of her head as she slowly descends the steps into the throne room properly, this sense of deja vú… and then she remembers, the visions she had at the House of the Undying. She saw that room back then, and the Iron Throne… it's eerie how precise that vision was, all the way to the snow blanketing everything. She crosses the room, ever so slowly, taking several seconds to take everything in and then, just like in her vision so long ago, right as she's finally ascended the steps on the dais, with her hand less than an inch from the Throne, an unexpected sound distracts her…

It takes her a heartbeat or two to clear the mists of her own memories as she comprehends that what she's hearing is not the memory of her three infant dragons calling for her, but a fully grown Drogon almost roaring. That makes her react as Daenerys spins around, Iron Throne and old visions all but forgotten as she dashes out of the Throne Room and out of the building.

Daenerys knows the trouble isn't over just yet. She may not have a Master of Whispers anymore, not since Lord Varys's ill-advised betrayal, but that doesn't mean she's unaware of what happens around her. Cersei and Jamie Lannister, as well as Euron Greyjoy might be dead, but that doesn't mean all their supporters went down with them. It's why she gave the order for all the soldiers to be executed, she cannot risk one of their supporters turning on her later on, not after she's secured her position. Things will only get harder as time passes; right now she can justify the killing as it being war, later on she'll need to explain her actions before too many people. The less enemies she has to beware of by then the better. Still, she probably should have warned Tyrion, Jon and Ser Davos about the situation, because judging by Drogon's growls those enemies have finally made their move, and it wasn't against her, not directly.

Daenerys runs, like she never has before. It takes her next to no effort to shrug off her cloak as her hands go for her blade, a valyrian steel and dragon-glass double-bladed dagger (one blade made of each material) she found in what used to be her mother's rooms and which, according to some papers, was an heirloom for Targaryen ladies, passed from mother to daughter. Something meant just for her, other than the dragon eggs she was gifted on the day of her wedding to Drogo, and the mare her husband gave her later on, she's never had anything meant just for her; and the idea that the blade was her mom's, and her mother's before her, and so on… she loves the blade for more reasons than just the practical.

She arrives to the stairs leading into the courtyard in time to see Ser Davos fall under a number of blades, as even more head towards Jon, who's busy keeping two attackers at bay. It's clear he's been taken completely by surprise, has no idea what to do, and the fact that all the attackers are dressed in plain, commoner's clothes doesn't help! She really should have told him about the soldiers hiding among the common-folk.

Daenerys doesn't stop to think about it, she takes a deep breath, prays it'll work, and then she throws the dagger, gratified when it finds its bullseye in the neck of a man about to skewer Jon from behind. The man's fall makes the former King of the North react, his shock considerable as he sees the blade on the man at his feet. He knows that blade, she told him about it. Daenerys for her part in focused on other things, like the fact that the Unsullied and the Dothraki are rushing towards them from opposite streets, but they're all too far away to be of any help. If someone doesn't do something Jon Snow is going to die. Daenerys doesn't want that. She knows she and Jon don't see eye to eye anymore; it began with his discovery of his own lineage, the deeply entrenched Northern values stopping him from sharing her bed again and she… she's too emotionally scarred, too aware of the darkness in the world and in people to fully fit with his warm and… optimistic view of life.

She doesn't see the world the way Jon does, she cannot, much as a part of her might wish she could (the other part insisting that she's not that naive, hasn't been since she was but a child, and the last time she tried… it ended with the loss of her son, and her being forced to end the life of her sun and stars… She cannot see the world like that, and that's not a bad thing; but maybe Jon seeing it that way isn't bad either. Perhaps he might be able to push his own view through and make a better world than the one they've been left by their progenitors, and isn't that what she's wanted all along? So she'll do her best to protect Jon, and hope that will be enough.

The battle lasts too long, and yet also no time at all. There are too many enemies, more than Daenerys ever imagined possible. She knew there were still enemies in hiding, but so many? She knows her faithful men are fighting to reach her side, but with things being the way they are, there's no way they'll ever reach her in time. And Drogon… he's flying overhead, waiting for her signal, a signal she won't give, not when doing so will make her even jumping into the battle completely pointless!

So she and Jon are back to back, a blade on each hand (she took Ser Davos's sword from his corpse, before pulling her dagger back).

"What is going on?!" Jon demands, even as he takes down another enemy. "Where are they all coming from?"

"Did it never occur to you to wonder why there were so few soldiers when we took King's Landing?" Daenerys asks instead.

She knows it didn't. Jon Snow is just so sincere, so honorable… it would never occur to him to hide soldiers among the commoners, have them laying in wait until the opponent lets down their guard. Just like it never occurred to him to hide his own allegiance to her when they met with Cersei before the fight against the Night King; or Cersei's own fake oath to send men to aid in the confrontation.

It all changes in the blink of an eye, as most things tend to. Daenerys can see the blade coming from the corner of her eye. Small but strong, and with a black glint marring the shine of the edge that she knows instinctively is caused by poison. She knows some Dornishmen liked to coat their weapons in poisons, and they aren't the only ones. It's not heading for her… but that changes nothing in the end. Daenerys has taken it upon herself to protect Jon Snow, she loves him, beyond any possible past liaison, she does love him, and refuses to watch him die and do nothing. She does her best to deflect the poisoned blade, but in the end she's not in the best position, even with valyrian steel on her side, her opponent's blade screeches as it slides down that of Ser Davos's sword, but instead of falling down completely, making the man overreach… her body is in the way. She twists, to avoid the knife as much as possible, all but for a cut on her hip. She ignores the injury the best she can, until she's hit by a wave of dizziness so strong she stumbles and would have fallen on another enemy's sword if it weren't for Jon's quick thinking.

The odds have turned against them though. As Jon has already lost his dagger (the one that wasn't valyrian). He uses his free hand to pull Daenerys out of the way of another enemy's weapon, and she manages to go with the motion enough to use her own blades to take down three more opponents, before the sword is knocked out of her hand and her spin makes it impossible for her to shift her grip enough to keep hold of it. They're down to one blade each, with the enemies closing around, too close for it to be enough, and the poison is already making Daenerys dizzy enough for her to know she won't be of use for much longer.

And then Jon does the unthinkable:

"DRACARYS!"

Daenerys is so dizzy she's actually not sure she heard that right, not until Drogon roars above them and fire begins raining upon the courtyard. She doesn't know if the last of her children decided to trust Jon enough to follow his order, or if he did it because she's in danger too. But that doesn't change the fact that it's absolutely insane! Jon could die! Daenerys stares at him, and she can see in his eyes that he's perfectly aware of that, he knows what dragonfire does to men, and he knows she won't burn, she's told him that too. He gave the order to save her, and it's absolutely ridiculous because she was trying to save him!

Fire swallows them both and for all of a heartbeat Daenerys thinks that's it, it's all been for nothing… and then the flames shift, and he's still there, standing right in front of her, holding her. Their clothes are falling from them in ashes, but they're still standing, dragon-children both.

Jon laughs unexpectedly, sharp, and bright and on the edge of hysteria. Daenerys cannot help but answer his smile with one of her own, yet when she opens her mouth to say something, a pained moan escapes her before her legs fold beneath her and she's no longer able to hold herself up. Jon reacts instinctively, dropping his sword (with the fire still around them they're safe from any enemies, those who aren't ashes already) and using both hands to catch her, even as he drops to his knees to help lay her down.

"Dany!" He cries out in shock. "What's happening?!"

"I'm dying…" She answers with an eerie calm.

"What?! No!" He's shocked, horrified, begins looking her up right away, and it doesn't take him long to find the signs of the injury on her hip, only the fire has pretty much sealed it already, cauterizing the cut… sealing the poison inside…

"I don't… I…" Jon is growing desperate, he's no idea what to do. "What do I do?"

"Nothing." Daenerys answers, still calm. "There's nothing that can be done. The poison is in my blood already, and nothing will stop it."

Jon says nothing. He wants to do something. To scoop Daenerys in his arms and rush her to the nearest healer. But Drogon is still breathing fire around them, to keep the enemies away while the Unsullied and the Dothraki deal with those that remain. And even if he could do it, where would he even take her? Who can he trust when so many of those he believed were commoners he needed to protect from his Queen's vengeance have turned out to be enemies in disguise?!

"I never meant to become this, you know?" Daenerys says in a complete non-sequitur.

"What…?" Jon isn't expecting that.

"Queen of the Ashes." Daenerys explains with a twist in her expression. "I promised myself, and those who followed me out of loyalty and love, that I would not become that, that I would not become my father."

"You haven't…"

"But I have, in the eyes of many, most even. Most will never understand why I made the choices I did. I know you don't…"

"Dany… I…"

"I told you and Tyrion that Cersei would use the innocent against me, and she did. It wasn't just about bringing the commoners inside the Keep to use them as human shields, in an attempt to keep me from unleashing dragon fire in the Keep; it was also this. I asked you before, if you never wondered why there were so few Lannister soldiers when we took King's Landing."

"I didn't notice."

"No one did. Not even I. But I have ears in many places, even without Varys or his whisperers. You might be surprise how much people talk when they think no one's listening, and how little attention most of them pay to the Unsullied when they're not dressed for war. We knew that Cersei had close to half her army don commoners' clothes and hide among them, laying in wait for when we might lower our guard, believing we'd already won. It wasn't as obvious, with the Golden Company stationed outside the gates, and the Ironborn in their ships. I knew it when they wouldn't ring the bells. Anyone with a high-enough rank could have done it, but they didn't, because they still had a plan."

"I didn't know, none of it."

"I know. It's why I gave the order to kill all the soldiers. And… Grey Worm needed it after…"

She doesn't speak about the loss of Missandei, never has. At first Jon himself failed to understand it, believing the dark-skinned woman to have been nothing more than a handmaiden and trusted adviser. Until he saw Dany's eyes after they laid the recovered remains of the woman to rest. Those weren't the eyes of a woman who just lost a loyal, valued subject, not even of someone who lost a friend… no, they were the eyes of someone who just lost a sister…

It's taken much too long for Jon to understand that he never knew Daenerys, not completely. And now… now it's too late.

"When I was a little girl I… I was never one to dream of a crown, or a throne." Daenerys says quietly. "That was all Viserys. He always talked about his right to the Iron Throne. Was always making plans for coming to Westeros and taking his rightful place. Me? All I wanted was a place to belong. Something that was only mine, where I might be safe and why not? Happy. Then he sold me, like cattle, to Khal Drogo. A wife for an army that might get him his throne. I thought that would be the end, I was meant to be nothing more than a savage's broodmare. And really, the first month or so did nothing to change my mind. Until I realized it was up to me, to make the best of my situation, or not. I decided to take a chance, on my situation, and on Drogo. He… he was not an easy man, not in any way, but I do believe he was worth it. He gave me… everything. Gave me power, gave me strength to stand for myself. I can honestly say I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for him. He took scared little Dany and made her into a Khaleesi."

"You loved him…"

"I still do. I always will." She smiles at him. "Just like I know you'll always love your wild-woman. When I lost him… and our son… I was lost, I tried so hard, to keep the khalassar together, to protect his people, our people… and I kept failing, time and again. I lost myself for a while. All that kept me going was the desire to finish what we'd started. Khal Drogo promised me the Iron Throne, and even if he was gone… I would fulfill that oath myself. Maybe then his spirit, and that of my brothers and sister would finally be appeased." She exhaled, then coughed, blood dripping from the edge of her mouth and painting her teeth and lower lip dark red. "We could have been good for each other, you and I… but well, it's too late for that now."

"Dany… you cannot give up…"

"I'm not. I fought, I won, and now it's up to you to carry on the legacy. Be who you've always been meant to be, brother-son, who you were born to be, be Aegon Targaryen…"

Jon only notices the fires have mostly stopped burning when he suddenly finds Grey Worm kneeling on Daenerys's other side.

"Valar Morghulis…" Daenerys whispers to her most trusted man through bloodied teeth.

"Valar Dohaeris…" Grey Worm replies with a bow of his head.

"No regrets." Daenerys adds for good measure.

"None, my Queen." Grey Word agrees, with only the slightest shaking in his voice.

He has no idea what's happened exactly, nothing other than his Queen is dying, and there is nothing he, or anyone, can do about it.

"Look after the Unsullied, and after yourself." Daenerys tell him. "Live… be Free."

"That we shall my Queen." Grey Worm promises.

The Dothraki are there too, and Daenerys addresses them next:

"Hajas (be strong)! Goodbye." She calls, simply and to the point, they need nothing more.

In her next breath, Daenerys ends up coughing for a while and eventually spitting up blood again, more than before, and with a blackened tint, the poison that is inside her, killing her.

"How can I do it?" Jon asks, close to desperation. "I have no idea how to… I never wanted to be King, not of the North, and certainly not of the Seven Kingdoms."

"No one says you must do it alone, or forever." Dany points out in between deep, damp breaths. "Rule and protect the people until they're ready to do it themselves."

It's much the same as what she asked of Daarion when she left him back in Mereen, perhaps not with the same words, but the point remains… Daenerys cannot help but think of the parallels, and wonder if perhaps she was never meant to be Queen, not really. She was good at fighting, at freeing the oppressed, at giving others strength to stand for themselves, but she was never good at actually ruling in times of peace (or what was supposed to be peace). At least she's confident enough that Jon can do it, he has the right disposition.

"I'll do it." Jon practically blurts out, knowing that she's waiting for his answer, probably the only reason she's holding on against the poison slowly killing her. "For you, my Queen." His voice turns quieter, more heartfelt as he adds. "You will always be my Queen, Dany…"

Daenerys smiles at him, and as terrible as she looks, so pale, except for the blood marring her face, she's still one of the most beautiful women Jon's ever known.

"Hail Aegon Targaryen! Seventh of his name, Dragon-son. King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men. Protector of the Seven Kingdoms!"

Grey Worm and the remaining Khals are the first to take on the cry, to whom others soon follow. Daenerys smiles, no longer fully there. She's done her part. She saved Westeros from Cersei Lannister and her ilk, made justice for her family, and ensured that the people will be well looked after, now… now she can rest.

Jon is overwhelmed with the reaction everyone's having. Especially when he catches sight first of Arya, and then Tyrion, both who've joined the crowd hailing him as the new King. He only turns his attention away from them when he feels Daenerys's hold on him slackening, turning in time to catch the last words to leave her lips…

"Shekh ma shieraki anni…"

He's no idea what she just said, supposes he's not meant to. Her violet eyes close, and the roar that leaves Drogon a moment later serves as confirmation for what he knew already: Daenerys is dead. The Queen is dead, long live the King…

He remains on his knees, for what seems like forever, and also no time at all. He comes back to himself when he notices the way they're all staring, only then remembering that the dragonfire consumed their clothes, his and Dany's. He wants to berate them all, for staring at their Queen like that, she might be dead, but they still owe her respect. Yet as he turns his eyes back to her he notices something he wasn't expecting, something fascinating, and it is that they apparently have been immobile long enough for snow and ashes to settle upon them both and in Dany's case… it's like she's wearing some kind of gown, a delicate dress made of ashes and snow…

**xXx**

It takes ten years. Ten long, exhausting years before he's confident enough that Westeros has recovered sufficiently from all the wars that befell it since the death of King Robert Baratheon (while many might curse the man as a Usurper King, especially those who see King Aegon VII Targaryen as the rightful return of the dynasty, he did manage to maintain peace for over a dozen years, and that's nothing to scoff at). The final step of it was allowing the people (or at least the leaders among the people) to choose who will rule them. There were some complications on that front when many kept wanting to choose him, but he's grown tired, he never wanted to be King, the only reason he ever took it on at all was to honor his Queen. Things got better eventually though, and a new King was chosen.

It still surprises him to think that his cousin, the boy he grew up seeing as a brother, Brandon Stark, is to be the next King, the first elected King of Westeros. Though the best part is perhaps that he understands Aegon… no, Jon (he can be Jon again) to not even try and convince him to stay. And it's not like he'll be alone, he has good people giving him support, like Ser Brienne of Tarth, Lord Samwell Tarly, Lord Tyrion Lannister and of course, Grey Worm and the Unsullied. While many expected the Unsullied to leave like the Dothraki did when it became obvious there were no more wars to be fought, the Unsullied chose to stay in the end, becoming the new army of Westeros, meant to protect not just the King, but the people as well; in honor of their Queen, they will forever protect that which she fought so hard for: people, freedom and peace.

As for Jon himself… he has one final mission to complete, before he can find his own peace. In a dragonglass receptacle, sculpted with an abstract design, lay the ashes of his Queen. He made sure to collect them after the funeral pyre finished burning. It's not tradition and yet… he's never forgotten the talks they had on their way to the North, so long ago now, in the privacy of her quarters, and always in quiet, deep voices. It was there that she told him about her life in Essos, of how she went from an exiled princess to khaleesi and later on Queen of Mereen. The most important part, he remembers her telling him about how he lit her husband's pyre, and stepped into it herself (remembers being horrified, fearing she sought her own death):

"_It wasn't about that." She told him after he expressed his fear. "I was crushed by the losses of both my unborn son and husband, couldn't help but feel it was my fault. As it was I who insisted on keeping the witch, and I again who insisted that she do that ritual to save Drogo." She shakes her head, pushing away the memory. "I was at the edge of despair, when I remembered a dream I'd had. I dreamt that if I carried my dragon eggs into a great fire they would hatch, and what greater fire would there ever be than my husband's own funeral pyre. It was fitting. And I know my own people thought me crazy when I stepped into the flames, but it was what needed to be done. Alone as I was back then I would have never achieved anything. And my dreams came true, my dragons hatched. And with their help I will see all my dreams made true and then, when the time comes for the sun to rise in the west and set in the east, I'll be ready…" _

She never clarified ready for what, and shortly after that they'd been distracted, and never really touched the topic again. But the one thing Jon never forgot was how important her husband's pyre was to her, how much she always loved him. So he collected her ashes, all along intending to one day find a way to reunite them, if only symbolically. He knows most would think him insane if they knew, which is precisely why he's never told anyone. Instead he waited just long enough to make sure Bran was crowned and settled into his new position, and then he took his bags (the receptacle inside one of them) and went straight for Drogon.

Something else he learned from Daenerys, and has since had the chance to confirm for himself, is that dragons are very intelligent beings, at times even wiser than men. Drogon knows where they are going (which is probably a good thing, since Jon doesn't, not really). Once they make it to the Dothraki Sea everything all around looks the same to him… but he trusts Drogon to take him to the right place, and eventually he lands. The place looks hardly any different from any other where they might have landed except… except for how there's a very specific, mostly circular patch of land with not a single flower, bush or even the smallest blade of grass. As if some kind of fire burned there, so strong that even years later it's left the land unable to give anything at all. He knows then (instinctively) that they're in the right place. Which seems to be confirmed when Drogon lays down on the rocky ground, his head as close to that exact spot as he could get and begins almost… crooning? Jon has no idea what else to call it. In any case, it's enough for him, so he pulls the dragonglass out of his pack and goes to stand on the edge of the circle and then… he has no idea what to do.

"Should I just… pour the ashes?" He asks Drogon, not really expecting an answer.

The surprise comes when Drogon nudges him, then outright pushes with his tail, forcing Jon to take several steps forth; the real trouble comes when he trips over something, losing hold on the dragonglass receptacle. It doesn't break, instead it rolls across the uneven ground until eventually stopping, right side up. Jon is about to say something, probably a harsh word at Drogon for making him drop it, when he hears another sound, like a deep rumbling. He knows what it means, Drogon is about to breathe fire… it's too late for him to do anything but stand there allowing the dragonfire to envelope him and the dragonglass receptacle. He almost groans as his clothes turn to ashes on him. At least his pack is enough away he'll have clothes to change into.

He's not sure what exactly makes him turn, but soon enough his eyes are on the receptacle. He knew the design wasn't quite as simple as it might seem at first sight. The piece was carefully engraved, but the design isn't as obvious at first sight… or it wasn't, until the dragonfire hit it. Suddenly the dragonglass seems to almost glow, as do all the delicate engravings. It is then that Jon understand why the receptacle is that exact shape and design. Gendry really gave their Queen the greatest honor he could when Jon asked him to forge the piece with some of the remaining dragonglass… it's a dragon-egg…

A dragon-egg that shivers and finally cracks moments later, as the dragonfire becomes hot enough to make the dragonglass melt and flow again.

"Fonas check…" Jon murmurs to the fire around him.

He enunciates each word carefully, according to the dothraki he managed to convince to teach him, they were the closest they had to 'goodbye' and it seems only right for Jon to say his last goodbye to Dany in that language, as it's the same language she chose for her last words. Especially since he managed to learn what the words she said back then meant: 'my sun and stars...' the words the dothraki use to refer to one's husband…

"I hope you found him Dany…" Jon whispers to the dying flames and the cooling dragonglass. "I hope you're all together now, you, Drogo, and your son…"

By then the fire has died down enough that Jon decides it's time to move. The fact that Drogon doesn't so much as react tells him he shouldn't count on him to get anywhere but that's okay, he was already planning on it. It's time for Drogon to makes his own life and fly where he may, and Jon… he'll make his own life as well. He's no idea what that life will be, or where, but he'll have time for that. He has all the time now…

He gets dressed quickly and then begins walking in the direction of the last town he saw from Drogon's back. He's just been walking for a minute or so, not yet far enough to not be able to see Drogon if he just looks over his shoulder, when just for a moment he could almost swear he can hear a child giggling, followed by a sweet voice calling to him, and then a deep rumble, but a moment later the wind is all he hears.

* * *

So... what do you think?

It's funny because my dad has never so much as read fanfiction, but he knows me enough that this morning he asks me how they were going. He knew that there were going to be fics after that finale. And this was mine.

Regarding Jon being Unburnt... I spent most of the season waiting for that. Ever since they said he was a Targaryen. According to a friend of mine who's read the books, the whole 'not burning' thing is a Daenerys thing, rather than a Targaryen thing. But since I planned this before she told me that, I decided to keep it. I kept the Unsullied in Westeros because it seemed more fitting and a way to honor the dream not just Daenerys but also Missandei died for, more than going to Nath would have (especially because, according to that same friend of mine, the Unsullied would have died in Naath... something about poisonous butterflies and foreigners not being able to survive there).

Yes, I still killed Daenerys because, to be honest, I never really imagined her as Queen. She was too much of a warrior to thrive in peace, and that was proven back in Mereen. Also, I think many of us, especially those of us fans of the Dany/Drogo pairing, imagined she'd die by the end, as that was the only way she could truly reunite with him and their son. Finally, I wanted to give a nod to her visions back in the House of the Undying, because I always imagined them representing how her story would end: her having the Throne in her reach, and in the end giving it up because she decided there was something more important (in the vision, her dragons, and in reality, Jon); as well as Drogo and Rhaego waiting for her in the Night Lands.

The last scene was my friend's idea, I was originally going to end it with Dany's last words and Jon seeing her 'dressed' in ashes and snow. Then we were talking and she told me how she imagined Daenerys's body being burnt and someone pouring her ashes where Drogo's body was burnt, as a way of them being finally together. I liked it, so I added it.

Much as I might love Jon Snow, truth is Dany and Drogo are and always will be my favorite pairing. And yes, the way they began was terrible, I'm not trying to make less of the forced marriage, the rape, that cannot and will never be justified; but I'm choosing to see past that, because I just love the way she flourished once she chose to make the best of her situation (not something I would do in reality, of course, but then again, this isn't reality). The point I'm trying to make here is that the way he loved her, empowered her... even with how different they were, and all the ways she tried to fit and defied his traditions in turn, he always supported her. He showed her she could be powerful, could be more than a scared little girl. It pained me that he was lost so soon, though I know that loss was, in some ways, what pushed Daenerys into making the choices she did and becoming the kind of woman who would free slaves, fight wars and eventually take the Iron Throne. Still, I wanted them together in some way by the end of it, so I did that here.

Hope you enjoyed it. All comments are welcome!

P.S. For my 'Time River' readers, the next part is still coming on Saturday.


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